PUBLISH TO "PLOTTER NAMED IN PAGE SETUP" WITH MULTI SHEET

[mwaldera1]

I am having issues using the publish to "plotter named in page setup" and getting a single  PDF of plans instead of each drawing creating a separate PDF.

We are attempting to create digitally seal plans thru AutoCAD using a PDF -Xchange Plot Driver.  This allow me to set the securities directly to the properties of the layout so when the pdf is created it can't be modified by others as easily.  I could use the publish to "PDF" but then I don't get the securities on the resulting created PDF.

So I guess the question is . . .

1) Can you create a multi sheet PDF using the Publish to "plotter named in page setup"?

As you can see in the snip below, the publish options are grayed out.

[dmfrazier]

"Can you create a multi sheet PDF using the Publish to "plotter named in page setup"?"

There have been previous discussions on this subject.

If I recall correctly, the answer is "only if the output device driver allows it." In other words, if the PDF driver named in the page setup is capable of combining pages into a multi-sheet PDF, either automatically or via some user interface that pops up before the save.

If your named PDF plotter is not capable of doing that, then one possible option is to use AutoCAD's publish to PDF to get your multi-page PDF and then run that PDF through your "PDF -Xchange Plot Driver" to apply the security settings you desire.

[mwaldera1]

We were hoping to avoid the 2nd step of adding the securities afterward. We are just switching over to PDF XChange so I will have to check the driver itself.

[mwaldera1]

Is there a way to modify the PDF Preset PC3 file?  I've attempted to remove the original one and just rename the PDF -Xchange one to match it, but then the drop down option such as General documentation or highest quality go away and aren't pickable.

[dmfrazier]

You can modify the PC3s that are associated with the drop-down, in terms of the settings available in the AutoCAD PDF driver, but (as you've discovered) you can't change the PC3 to a different driver (or replace the PC3 with one based on a different driver). The PUBLISH command and the AutoCAD PDF driver are "joined at the hip."

[dany_rochefort]

@mwaldera1 Change the PUBLISHCOLLATE (System Variable) from 0 to 1. 

[mwaldera1]

It already was at 1.  I switched to 0 and back to 1.  It made no difference.  Still created 2 separate PDF's.

[dmfrazier]

[mwaldera1]

does anyone know of a PDF plot driver that supports this functionality?   We had ADOBE, but it was removed prior to me attempting this.  Not sure we are sold on PDF xchange at this point.

[dmfrazier]

I have used PDFFactory Pro, which basically opens up as a viewer/editor when plots are sent to it, allowing a certain amount of modification prior to saving "jobs" to PDF, which can be single sheets or grouped. The version I have is a few years old and doesn't have much (if any) security options, and I haven't looked at recent versions.

FoxitPhantomPDF is another one to consider.

If you set your PDF-Xchange app as your default PDF viewer, publish to the AutoCAD PDF multi-sheet option, and check the option to open in viewer when finished, this could be a fairly "seamless" process, where it would only be necessary to re-save (over-write) the PDF with the security settings you want.

[mwaldera1]

That is one of the options we are looking at.  The publish command on some jobs which have 20-30 sheets though can take time to complete, and its very easy to get interrupted and lose track of applying the security settings needed, but it is a simple extra click or two and overwriting save.

[paullimapa]

Isn’t that the same when you used Adobe to secure the pdf?  The pdf is generated first and then opens in Acrobat first before you can apply the security settings and do a save to complete the process?

[mwaldera1]

No, I could set the security within the Adobe print driver PC3 file as well, but I never tried batch plotting with it before we switch to  PDF xchange.  

[dany_rochefort]

@mwaldera1  DWG to PDF works great for that. It's the only PDF driver i use. 

[mwaldera1]

Are you able to set security features on the resulting PDF?  

[dmfrazier]

AutoCAD's DWG to PDF has no such capability.